Esha Singh Leads India to 25m Pistol Gold as Manu Bhaker Reaches Final
India enjoyed a memorable day at the ISSF World Championships in Doha, Qatar, as Esha Singh led the country to gold in the women’s 25m pistol team event. The Indian trio of Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker and Divya Subbaraju combined to register a total of 1,761 points, finishing ahead of South Korea and Vietnam.
The team victory was accompanied by another major achievement as Esha and double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker qualified for the eight-shooter individual final. Their performances kept India’s hopes alive for another quota place at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Esha Singh Leads India’s Gold Medal Charge
Esha produced the best performance among the Indian shooters, finishing the two-day qualification competition with 590 points to secure third place in the individual standings.
Her impressive comeback in the Rapid round played a crucial role in India’s team victory. After scoring 292 in Monday’s Precision round, the 21-year-old responded with an outstanding 298 in the Rapid round.
She recorded series of 100, 98 and 100 to finish with an overall score of 590, establishing herself as one of the leading contenders for the individual title.
Manu Bhaker also made an important contribution to India’s team performance, scoring 587 points to finish sixth in the individual qualification standings. Divya Subbaraju completed the Indian team’s aggregate with 584 points but narrowly missed qualification for the individual final, finishing 10th.
India Beats South Korea and Vietnam for Team Gold
The Indian trio accumulated 1,761 points to claim the women’s 25m pistol team gold medal.
South Korea finished second with 1,748 points to secure silver, while Vietnam took bronze with an aggregate of 1,745 points.
The victory highlighted India’s strength in the pistol discipline and added another significant achievement to the country’s campaign at the Doha World Championships.
Manu Bhaker Makes Individual Final After Strong Comeback
Manu Bhaker recovered from a relatively modest Precision round to secure her place in the individual final.
The two-time Olympic medallist had scored 289 points in the Precision round but produced a strong performance in the Rapid round, recording three series of 99, 99 and 100.
Her overall score of 587 placed her sixth in the qualification standings, securing one of the eight available places in the final.
Germany’s Doreen Vennekamp topped the qualification standings with 592 points, equalling the Olympic record, while Hungary’s Veronika Major finished second with 591.
LA 2028 Olympic Quota Places in Focus
The individual final also carried significant importance for India’s Olympic qualification campaign. The top three finishers in the women’s 25m pistol event at the World Championships would secure quota places for their respective countries for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
With both Esha and Manu reaching the final, India had an opportunity to add two more quota places to its tally, provided both shooters finished among the medal winners and subject to the allocation limit.
Earlier, Jaypal Malviya had opened India’s Olympic qualification account at the championships by winning silver in the men’s 10m air pistol event.
With Esha Singh leading the team to gold and Manu Bhaker joining her in the individual final, India strengthened its position in the pistol events at the ISSF World Championships. The performances also provided a major boost to the country’s preparations for the upcoming Los Angeles Olympics.
